Skeeter Werner Walker Explained

Skeeter Werner Walker
Fullname:Gladys Maxine Werner (-Walker)
Birth Date:22 December 1933
Birth Place:Steamboat Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Death Place:Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Gladys Maxine "Skeeter" Werner Walker (December 22, 1933  - July 20, 2001) was an alpine ski racer and Olympian from the United States.[1] [2]

Biography

Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, "Skeeter" Werner learned to ski and race at Howelsen Hill.[3] An alternate for the 1952 Olympic team,[4] she was youngest member of the U.S. Ski Team at the 1954 World Championships[5] and the U.S. Olympic team in 1956. Werner retired from competition in 1958, and modeled and designed fashions in New York.[6] She returned to Steamboat Springs in 1962 and opened a ski shop with her younger brothers Wallace ("Buddy" 1936 - 64) and Loris ("Bugs" b.1941), also Olympians.[1] She later founded the Steamboat Ski School.

In 1966, one of her ski school students was Doak Walker,[7] a famous NFL running back (and winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1948). They eloped in 1969 to Las Vegas[1] [8] and lived together in Steamboat Springs for the rest of their lives. He died in 1998 at age 71,[9] [10] eight months after a ski accident left him paralyzed.[11] [12] She died of cancer in July 2001, at age 67.[1] [6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Remembering: Skeeter Werner . Skiing Heritage . September 2000 . 36.
  2. https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/gladys-werner-1.html . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418122806/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/gladys-werner-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 27 December 2012.
  3. News: Werners became first family of Steamboat. Steamboat Today.com. Phillips. Autumn. January 12, 2003. December 29, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130111183036/http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2003/jan/12/werners_became_first/. January 11, 2013.
  4. News: Werner family dominates junior tourney . Deseret News . United Press . April 2, 1951 . A9.
  5. Web site: Paying tribute to 'Skeeter' . Steamboat Today.com . Ross . Tom . July 25, 2001 . December 29, 2012.
  6. Web site: 'Skeeter' Werner Walker dies . Steamboat Today.com . Ross . Tom . July 20, 2001. December 29, 2012.
  7. News: First suggestion: get an instructor . Pittsburgh Press . Werner . Skeeter . January 3, 1967 . 40.
  8. Olympic skier Skeeter Werner . Sports Illustrated . Fimrite . Ron . December 8, 1997 . 17.
  9. News: Doak Walker dies of paralysis injuries . Reading Eagle . Associated Press . September 28, 1998 . D9 .
  10. News: Friends, family honor Walker . Victoria Advocate . Associated Press . October 1, 1998 . 2B .
  11. News: Walker injured in skiing accident . The Item . Sumter, South Carolina . Associated Press . January 31, 1998 . 3B .
  12. The longest yard for Doak Walker . Sports Illustrated . Reilly . Rick . Rick Reilly . May 18, 1997 . October 20, 2014.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Skeeter Werner Walker".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.